Incredible fan art reimagines your favourite superheroes

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There are few communities within 3D art as reverent or appreciative as the world of fan art. Each recreation or reinterpretation is a labour of love in which artists pay tribute to their favourite characters, comics, films, franchises and more. 

And these examples are particularly incredible examples of what you can create off the back of 3D movies or comic book characters. Below are some of our favourite creations, plus insight from the artists that made them. For more inspiration, explore our roundup of the best 3D art. 

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01. Venom 

Franco Carlesimo’s Venom fan art is a faithful and comic-accurate recreation

Franco Carlesimo, who made this Venom character, has been creating fan art for as long as he can remember. "I was introduced to comics as a kid and used to copy or do my interpretations of all the characters I liked." 

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02. Spider-Man

Carlesimo used ZBrush, 3ds Max and V-Ray to create this striking image of Spider-Man

Carlesimo also created this incredible Spider-Man. "In 3D you have to try to make it look cool from several angles. I always try to have at least three good angles to look at it," says Carlesimo of his process. 

03. Storm

Queiroz based this project on one of his favourite designs for X-Men character Storm

The recipe for great fan art, according to Victor Hugo Queiroz, who created this image of X-Men's Storm, is a respect for the source material and an acknowledgment of the technical challenge that it presents. “Fan art can be a tricky subject because it’s kind of easy to get positive feedback from the fanbase, which sometimes makes you less exigent about the quality of your work,” he explains. 

When it comes to capturing the attention of the industry, Queiroz stresses the importance of remembering that not everyone will recognise the source of your inspiration. “Not all recruiters watched that anime that you loved back in the '90s,” he adds. It’s important to make sure that your work is captivating, whether the viewer knows the source material or not."

04. Superman 

Superman, as you've never seen him before

This personal project by Richie Mason depicts Superman facing off against Green Lantern. Mason has always loved comic books and the characters that inhabit them, and so was driven to create his own versions of them. 

05. Super Sons

Eduardo Silva’s Super Sons fan art is based on the art of comic book artist Jorge Jiménez

This fan art by Eduardo Silva is based on DC Universe Rebirth cover, illustrated by super-talented artist Jorge Jiménez. "This cover has a great action scene with the characters in very dynamic poses and good elements to compose the base. The goal now was to make this illustration a statue that works from all angles," says Silva. 

"The biggest challenge was to make a simple light that would work from some angles and also in the 360," he continues. "After doing a lot of tests I found a setup that pleased me, something that brightened the scene but had hard and soft shadows at the same time, helping to make the scene more dramatic."

06. Spider-Gwen

Spider-Gwen fan art by Eduardo Silva 

The goal of this Spider-Gwen fan art by Silva was to produce a statue with human proportions. Throughout the fan art development process, Silva pays close attention to the essential characteristics of the character he is working on: "the anatomy, accessories, environment in which this character lives, and what kind of story I’m trying to tell. Generally I try to make the characters as faithful as possible while respecting the original creation, adapting only what doesn’t work so well in 3D."

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